AVON TUNING GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Popovic prevails as Lambo duo plunders lap records
Quality over quantity has been the story of the Castle Combe Racing Club’s 2025 Avon Tuning GT Championship, for while competitor numbers were down, the depth of frontrunners has never been greater. On Finals day, Saturday, October 3, popular series stalwart Dylan Popovic was crowned champion in his seven-litre Ginetta-Chevrolet G50 having missed out by a single point last season. But Lamborghini V10 returnees Craig Dolby and Sacha Kakad respectively pummelled the outright GT record into the 63 second bracket, then into the 62s, Sacha leaving the target at a staggering 1m02.956s (105.78mph) – the fastest lap of the circuit’s 75th season – at the wheel of Keith Butcher’s Huracan Evo GT3.
“It took some time to go from definitive backmarker to winning the championship, but the journey was a fun one,” said Sarajevo, Bosnia-born Londoner Popovic after his success had begun to sink in. The IT guru graduated progressively from a tiny Marlin 5Exi kit car, which he towered over 15 years back, through a bespoke turbocharged Audi-engined track burner to his current Anglo-American steed, building experience and speed in preparation for this moment. Smiling through thick and thin, there could be no more worthy champion.
His success certainly made one junior fan’s day. Post qualifying, young Brooke presented Dylan with some good luck drawings. Enchanted at her kind thought, he taped it into the Ginetta for the races.
His task was simplified in the preliminaries when closest rival Josh Smith, who arrived six points behind, suffered an engine failure in his Suzuki Hayabusa-powered Caterham RLM 260 Edition during qualifying. “It looks like it’s dropped a valve,” rued the University Centre Somerset driver, whose spare was back at base in Cambridge. Twice a winner this term, Dave Scaramanga was 12 adrift of Popovic, equal with recent single-racer Butcher but still eager to seize an outside opportunity in the Ferrari 488, which superseded his previous Audi R8 gloriously in May.
Qualifying saw Dolby, whose 1:04.101s lap record was set on Easter Monday, invited back to saddle Nigel Mustill’s Gallardo GT3r-EX, to ward off a likely response from Kakad who went under it in August – albeit a lap after the chequered flag, which he missed invalidating it! Craig signalled his intent by firing off a 1:03.848 (104.31mph) shot in nine laps. Scaramanga also beat the ‘ton,’ his 1:06.254 (100.52mph) lap in the Mtech-run Ferrari turbocar claiming the other front row start.
Popovic was third on 1:06.914, clear of Smith, but would be paired with Chris Everill in the CE Commercials 6.2-Ginetta-Chevrolet G55 when the grid formed. The third row comprised Richard Guy with his seven-litre Mosler-Chevrolet MT900 stealth bomber – effectively a Corvette evolution, using its corners but with the engine mid-mounted – now running properly. Richard recorded a 1:11.872 and was joined by local man Dave Marcussen in his 3.2-litre BMW M3 E46. The former Mighty Minis racer clocked 1:12.483, half a second quicker than Butcher in his Lambo, which had a tyre deflate before Kakad – qualified for race 2 by dint of previous outings in June and August – could leap in.
Good old “Mr Cheese” – aka Philip Young – completed the field in his Vauxhall red top powered Mitsubishi Colt clone, the sole class F representative. Hard tryer Doug Forbes, recovering from illness, sent his apologies – via co-ordinator and former champion Louis Davidson – for not being fit to race his Ginetta-Ford G20. All of us wish Doug a full and speedy recovery.
From the rolling start, Dolby hurtled the yellow Lamborghini into the distance in the morning race. Seemingly unaffected by a raging wind – by-product of Storm Amy, lashing in from over the Atlantic Ocean – Craig was more than a second ahead of Scaramanga at the end of the opening lap, then unleashed a salvo of four successive ‘1:03s’ which put the combo 14 seconds up the road. His swiftest lap, a brilliant 1:03.360 (105.11mph) on lap 4, constituted the record. For now at least…
Scaramanga held a solid second throughout, besting at 1:06.091 – one of nine ‘sixes;’ the rest were sevens, mainly low ones after the installation lap – but finished 43.1s down on the winner, albeit the only unlapped rival. Outsnorted by Everill at the start, Popovic retrieved third at the Esses on lap 3, then enjoyed a multi-lap skirmish with Chris. Driving conservatively to seal the coveted championship, Dylan had decided to “stay out of trouble” and was happy to wave leader Dolby past three laps from home to reduce his running.
From a cautious getaway, Butcher progressed past Marcussen and Guy. Richard latched his Mosler onto the Huracan’s tail and recorded a splendid 1:06.785 – half a second quicker than Keith’s best – on the penultimate lap, after they had demoted the fading Everill to sixth. “It’s changing gear this time, but an auxiliary belt snapped,” he shrugged, having unfurled himself from the sleek red machine and found a replacement in his spares crate Marcussen and Young, both class soloists, rounded out the finishers, improving their day’s best laps to 1:11.872 and 1:16.357 respectively.
Kakad jumped into the bewinged Lambo for race 2, mindful that while the grid was thin he’d need to work his way forward respectfully. Poleman Dolby wasted no time in screaming away from his pursuers as this spectacular sub-plot played out. His 1:03.593 third lap indicated how hard he was trying, with Kakad up to third and essaying to pass Scaramanga. Having slipstreamed Dave out of Camp, Sacha howled past through Folly and it was ‘game on,’ although the deficit to Dolby was 10.6 seconds.
Two laps previously, Popovic had launched a big effort to unseat Scaramanga at Quarry. The dynamic duo headed for the Esses, still squabbling, but on the exit Dylan spun. He resumed, having lost little time, now able to watch Kakad closing on Scaramanga. Sacha reeled off six straight ‘fours,’ then three ‘threes,’ but the gap remained 10 seconds plus.
Despite the proximity of their times, it was apparent to seasoned onlookers that Dolby and Kakad were cutting their times in different ways. Craig was visibly quicker through Camp, but Sacha shaded him elsewhere. Had they been together who knows what the outcome might have been, but when driveshaft failure on lap 13 saw Dolby peel off Westway and limp into the paddock, the race was Kakad’s to equal their seasonal score at three victories each.
Still focused on the record, he redoubled his efforts after a run of fractionally slower laps and approached it with a 1:03.381 on the penultimate lap. Digging yet deeper, his last lap was a peach and there was a gasp from commentators Ian Sowman and Chris Dawes, fractions apart, as his phenomenal 1:02.956 (105.78mph) was processed. “Mr Cheese,” lapped en route, had a grandstand view from the Colt clone, but the gasp from spectators was palpable as they appreciated what they had witnessed. “On the first couple of laps we were coming out of the second chicane sideways. [The record] was a bit of an ask, but I thought I could genuinely give it a go,” smiled Sacha, whose efforts in the ‘team entry’ advanced Butcher to joint second in class with Scaramanga, a point behind class F champion Young in the final reckoning.
Kakad’s pursuers had paired off meanwhile. His championship claim staked earlier, Popovic was almost back with Scaramanga at the chequer – their fastest laps more representative 1:06.628 and 1:06.828 respectively – the avocado-hued Ginetta in its increasingly familiar position behind the black and red Ferrari. The determined Everill staved off Guy by 0275s for fourth. Marcussen and Young completed the finishers, both enjoying the circuit but hoping for more class opposition to play with next season.
NANKANG TYRES HOT HATCH CHAMPIONSHIP
Young gun Williams crowned in Wiltshire College Honda
It’s rare for a teenager in his first season of racing to emerge as a champion, but Sam Williams achieved that in the Castle Combe Racing Club’s Nankang Tyres Hot Hatch Championship. Despite having no opposition in class D – a factor outside his control – the Melksham lad showed admirable tenacity in a 1400cc Honda Civic prepared by Wiltshire College students in their workshop at the circuit. Two early non-finishes meant no scores to drop in the best nine scores from 10 tally. “I chose this [starting point] because it was the cheapest route into the championship, but plan to race in class C next year,” said Sam, elated after two more strong showings on Grand Finals day, October 4.
The battle for the outright runner-up position was tight, but despite erstwhile class leaders Ben Heywood (BMW Mini Cooper S) and Julian Ellison (Ford Fiesta S1600) being beaten on track, a second and third for Ben and a brace of seconds for Julian second and third for Ben left them in that order, four points apart, with Jack Lovegrove (Citroen Saxo) closing up in fourth. The change came in class A, in which race winner Corey Webber (Honda Civic EP3) emerged from a tussle with Julian Fisher (Fiesta ST150) to overhaul points leader Jason Stack (Honda), among five competitors penalised for exceeding track limits in the opener. Stack was excluded for causing a collision with Webber in race 2, which enabled points winner Joe Hathaway (Renault Clio) to grab second after dropped scores were taken into account.
Late withdrawals as a consequence of August Bank Holiday Monday car issues saw a field of 22 arrive for qualifying, which Hathaway topped with a 1:15.334s (88.40mph) final flourish. Webber and invitee Shaun Deacon (Peugeot 106), a Combe regular in previous seasons, ran him close in the 15s. John McMillan – out for the first time in a year in his Fiesta, thus another invitee – Stack, Fisher and Mini Cooper S class leader Nathan Nicholls (R53) posted 16s, Nathan 0.418s quicker than rival Erling Jensen in his zebra-striped version.
Ninth overall, Scott Hughes (Brooklands Autocraft/API Peugeot 106 GTi) led the class C posse comfortably by a couple of seconds from Jack Lovegrove (Citroen Saxo), the pair split by James Dyer-Bufton (Civic EP3). Dan Parsons and Jake Humphrey (Clios) and James MacGregor (Civic EP3) were next up, chased by Nathan Sutton, switching from Saloons in his back-up MG ZR as an invitee so as not to affect the other class title race. “It’s nothing special, a spares ship,” said Nathan, out to enjoy himself having yet to sort the wiring and piping damage to his regular lemon and lime ZR inflicted by an engine bay fire five weeks previously.
Champion elect Sam Williams led the rest, outpacing Steve Andrews and Mark Culley (Saxos), separated by the displaced Heywood and Ellison, invitee Josh Carter (Cooper S) and Lee Waterman, who managed only one lap in his winged Civic EP3. That frustrated the Tiverton man, but fired him up for a charge from the back of the grid. Twenty one cars formed it, Hughes’ fast Pug sadly too badly battered in Tim Swift’s Saloon race incident to continue.
Hathaway and Webber hurtled away as the red lights went out to start the first race, with McMillan in hot pursuit. There was drama behind as light contact from Deacon fired Stack out of the stampede to the left. He got going, once everybody had fled the scene, albeit at the back. Fisher was third at the end of the opening lap, ahead of Danish charger Jensen – Erling’s racer’s spirit belying his years – and Deacon, with Dyer-Bufton moving forward and the chastened Hathaway in his wake. Joe had survived a scary off on the exit of Old Paddock “on cold tyres” and narrowly missed the marshals’ post. Mid-field once off the grass and back onto the grey bit, “red mist” descended and his recovery began. Behind Lovegrove and MacGregor, Waterman had forged the Willand Service Centre Honda up to 10th.
Deacon ousted Jensen on lap 2 and immediately latched on to Fisher who he displaced next time round. Shaun dived past McMillan into Camp on lap 5 and set about chasing leader Webber who was too far up the road to make any impression upon. Hathaway’s blue Clio made strong progress to third by mid-distance, at the expense of McMillan, who lost out to Waterman four laps later.
Several unwelcome surprises altered the race’s complexion though. Webber, seemingly set fair for victory, slowed dramatically on the penultimate lap – with a 1:14/610 (89.26mph) fastest lap on his slate – when his gearchange broke. “I pulled fourth gear and the lever snapped off in my hand,” he explained. “I managed to put my hand through the hole [in the surround], grabbed the cable and found a gear to get home, but Deacon passed me.” Corey still finished second on the road, ahead of Hathaway and the impressive Waterman, but Deacon’s five second penalty promoted Webber to P1. Maximum class A points put him top of the tree, albeit with the top four still close and one race remaining.
Fisher, also in the hunt but by then suppressed to sixth, stopped on the exit of Bobbies on the final lap, when his Fiesta’s left inner CV joint failed. Another late casualty was Parsons who pulled off with an oil leak, possibly a legacy of a noisily missed gear out of Camp? Talking gears, McMillan lost fourth along the way, but did well to hang on to fifth place, ahead of Mini frontrunners Nicholls and Jensen. Nicholls’ best lap of 1:15.961 (87.67mph) rewrote Crofton Woodhatch’s 2024 record by 0.611s. Stack’s five second penalty did not alter his eighth place, fourth in class, having outrun MacGregor and Dyer-Bufton in similar cars.
A lap down, runaway class C victor Lovegrove, Humphrey, Carter and Sutton were next past the chequer, followed by well-matched rivals Ellison and Andrews who crossed the line together. Williams, Heywood and Culley completed the 19 finishers.
McMillan and Parsons were missing from the 18 who started the seasonal finale, in which Hathaway, Webber, Stack and Deacon formed the breakaway group, pursued by Nicholls, Fisher’s repaired Fiesta and Waterman – getting used to burning from the stern. Jensen, Dyer-Bufton, Humphrey and MacGregor.
Deacon outbraked Hathaway into Camp for the lead at mid-distance, but Stack’s lunge at Webber into the Esses resulted in a sideswipe for which Stack, who pitted, was disqualified post-race. While the leaders scrapped, Webber was relieved to get home third, behind Hathaway, who equalled his total of three wins this term. “I couldn’t catch him and Mr Waterman was catching me,” said the new class A champion after a fraught day at the races.
Fisher, Nicholls, Dyer-Bufton and MacGregor were next in, ahead of Humphrey and double class topper Lovegrove, locked in combat. Sutton, Williams, Ellison, Heywood, Culley and Andrews made it home, but Carter and MacGregor fell by the wayside. Saxophonist Lovegrove, incidentally, closed to within two points of class champion Ellison in the Watchfield Service Station Fiesta, third in the overall standings, three clear of A victor Webber.
MOTUL FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP
Champion Cooper’s double as Poole lands vacant class C title
Following the successful conclusion of resident ace Luke Cooper’s quest for a third Castle Combe Racing Club Formula Ford crown at August’s Countdown event, at which fellow Swift driver Nathan Ward landed his seventh Class B (chassis from 1990-1995) title and sixth in succession, only Class C remained unclaimed in the Motul-supported contest going in to the Grand Finals event on Saturday, October 4. The Historic class has been pilot Peter Lavender’s domain all season in his attractive Merlyn Mk11/17.
Cooper duly put together a perfect day’s work, securing pole position and both race wins, each with fastest lap, to wrap up his campaign. Great preparation for assaults on those end-of-term staples the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the 25th Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. The CCRC family wishes our champion well against focused rivals from around the world.
On a blustery day, when savage south westerly winds made the going tough, Tom Hawkins – stepping up from his high-nosed Swift SC95 to the Springbridge Direct Ray GR11 for the first time in a year – Ward and double champion of yore Adam Higgins provided Cooper’s strongest opposition. But third in the 1985-1989 division first time out earned veteran team chief Wayne Poole its title in his Van Diemen RF89. If it proves to be the Gloucestershire man’s final year behind the wheel, he retired at the top of the class and third overall behind Ward!
Cooper claimed pole on a sunny but chilly autumn morning, his 1m11.837s (92.71mph) best almost a second better than Hawkins’ 1:12.819 and more than two swifter than Ward’s 1:13.976 in his trusty Swift SC92. Higgins, who won his championships in 2012 and 2013 driving a modern Van Diemen JL12, dusted down Beastworx’s RF88 which hadn’t turned a wheel in three years and qualified it fourth, atop class C, on 1:14.293 (89.64mph).
Sam Skellett (SC92) ran Ward closest in fifth, chased by Bob Hawkins and Poole in matching RF89s. Poole’s charge Stephen Bracegirdle (Van Diemen RF01) was in the 16s with Alicia Hamlen, whose Ray GR09 was restored to full health following its August qualifying prang. Dane Catanzaro (RF89) and enthusiastic novice Ben Barry in the unique Lanan 1604 – overseen by dad Tony and uncle Tim – were next up. Lavender and class D playmate Pete ‘Hobbit’ Hannam in his Ken Nicholls-built Nike Mk6 in his home county of Devon, the engine of which ejected its sump plug after a couple of laps, completed the field.
Hawkins Junior made the best getaway in the morning race, beating Cooper to Quarry, where Skellett tagged Ward, sending both Swifts spinning. Skellett was out on the spot, joining Catanzaro who was pushed off the grid by marshals, as spectators. A safety car was sent for the retrieval of Skellett’s car from the edge of the circuit, but Hannam – having sourced a replacement plug at the ever-handy Merlin Motorsport’s paddock emporium – retired with a misfire before the caution was withdrawn. So strong was the wind during the hiatus that a signal board was dislodged from the start gantry and fluttered to earth.
Cooper judged the restart better and was not headed over the remaining 10 laps. Seven seconds behind at the chequered flag, Hawkins chased Luke well, his best lap four tenths shy of the winner’s 1:11.620 (92.99mph). “It was a difficult race,” reflected Cooper. “Each corner was slightly different and the car was getting buffeted. On the first lap at Quarry I slid right out on the exit.”
Higgins held a class-winning third throughout. Aided by the pace car hiatus, which reunited him with the pack, Ward speedily worked his way through the Poole, Hamlen, Bracegirdle triumvirate, then hounded down Hawkins Sr. Nathan usurped Bob on the penultimate tour to grab an unexpected fourth and a sixth class victory from nine rounds.
Hamlen dived inside Poole at Camp on the last lap for sixth, but Wayne’s day’s purpose was fulfilled. He was class C champion and spent the rest of a joyous Saturday looking after his customers in the FF, Saloon and Hot Hatch races. Bracegirdle slipped back after a keen start, but finished eighth, still on the lead lap. Lavender and Barry enjoyed an energetic little tussle before Ben went ahead to stay.
The afternoon’s sequel was uninterrupted, Cooper charging away to a 6.8 second victory, his sixth on the trot, seventh of the 2025 campaign, and the 29th round win of his career, stretching back to 2013. Fair play to Luke and father Alan, omnipresent on the Combe scene. Early season pacesetter Rory Smith (Medina) won the other three races this year, but to Alex Kite fell the honour of the season’s best lap, 1:10.362s (94.65mph) set in a Kevin Mills Racing Spectrum on Easter Monday.
Tom Hawkins and Ward scrapped mightily over second throughout, their order changing numerous times. In a photo finish, Nathan got the nod by twelve thousandths of a second as they crossed TSL’s timing stripe abreast, the red Ray outside the white Swift. “I kept having problems with the gearbox, missing gears,” said Tom, who nonetheless enjoyed a spirited fight. Nathan was equally chipper, making a point of “thanking Dad and mechanic Ed” for keeping his season – which early engine failure would have torpedoed, but for Brian Soule’s generosity in loaning a spare – going to plan after win number seven and his second fastest lap point of the day, a bonus which hitherto evaded him.
Higgins, Skellett and Bob Hawkins were engaged in a fine scrap for third for much of the race, Adam’s engine sounding different to the others without a tailpipe on its silencer box. Much improved youngster Skellett led the trio confidently on a couple of occasions before racecraft and experience put Higgins – son of four-time Combe champ Bob – back ahead. Bracegirdle again started well, but lost out to Hamlen in the tussle for seventh. Barry – down to a very respectable 1:17.825 in the Lanan – netted eighth, ahead of Lavender and Hannam, whose persistent misfire mysteriously cleared itself towards the end. Poor Catanzaro’s day ended in retirement.
SOUTH CERNEY ENGINEERING SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Corsas for courses as Good secures second saloon gold
Vauxhall Corsa racer Mike Good may have had only Ford Fiesta-mounted father Roger for company in Class D for most of the Castle Combe Racing Club’s South Cerney Engineering-sponsored 30th anniversary Saloon Car Championship, but it took until an eventful penultimate round to seal his second overall title in three years.
Defending champion Harrison Chamberlain won both races in his Volkswagen Golf GTi turbo, to end a year of reliability woes on a high, but class A champion Bill Brockbank non-started his faithful Badger5 SEAT Ibiza turbo – pressed into service following unresolved gearbox issues in his younger Spanish sizzler – and B leader Mark Wyatt (Vauxhall Astra) found himself without rival Kieren Simmons (Fiesta) to close that contest.
But Wayne Rushworth and James Blake – who arrived neck-and-neck atop the ever-excellent C in their MG ZRs – kept onlookers guessing over the destiny of 2025’s divisional crown. Having won a race apiece on the day, by little more than a pocket handkerchief, and four apiece over the season, Blake prevailed by a solitary fastest lap point in this most sporting of duels. Former overall champion James Keepin in his familiar ZR separated them in the day’s opener.
Chamberlain qualified on pole with a 1m11.681s (92.95mph) effort, chased by non-scoring invitees Will di Claudio – the 2008, ’12 and ‘13 champion joining in for the first time this year with his Peugeot 106 – and Connor Harris (Ford Fiesta), in the mid-12s and mid-14s respectively. Alas Harris’ car broke, but the ST150 specialist was buzzing and vowed to be back in 2026 with more mates to share the fun.
Wyatt bagged fifth in the long-serving Interceptor Racing Astra – although the turbocharged sister car of team mate Adam Prebble was absent, pending a winter engine rebuild – but found himself the only B runner with the closely-matched Simmons away. Hadyn King’s vibrant supercharged SEAT Leon was also in the 15s, two seconds clear of Todd Carter’s Renault Megane R26 turbo and Rushworth in his Wayne Poole-run Pest24 MG.
Rushworth – looking forward to his single-seater debut in a WPR Van Diemen at November’s Walter Hayes Trophy – was almost two seconds quicker than Blake at this point, with the ill-starred Brockbank and Keepin next up. Tim Swift (Peugeot 106), Blake’s new team-mate Nick Adams [namesake of the 1989 Group C2 World Champion], sampling i-tech racing’s MG ZR hire car as an invitee – and Good pere-et-fils completed the field.
Although di Claudio’s lighter bolide was quicker out of the starting blocks, Chamberlain romped away with the opener, interrupted by a four-lap safety car interlude triggered when Swift’s grey Pug spun wildly out of Camp onto the infield, then back slewed across the track into the barrier guarding the pitwall. Tim escaped injury but the car looked a bit second hand as a result of the impact.
Behind Carter’s deceptively rapid Renault, in a solitary third, King and Rushworth were slow away, but soon rediscovered their equilibrium. After the hiatus, fourth placed King found himself in a tighter tussle with Wyatt but they finished in that order. Blake and Rushworth enjoyed a huge dust-up. Side-by-side onto the final lap, but Keepin towed up to the pair and managed to split them when Rushworth rounded Blake at Tower, only to lose momentum when James held on the inside line into Bobbies. Now third in class, Wayne’s consolation was fastest lap. An unusually cautious Mike Good, with the championship in his pocket, Adams and Roger Good were lapped, but headed safely into race 2.
Di Claudio led the opening two laps from Chamberlain, before Harrison zoomed past. “That 106 is seriously quick, especially into the braking zones,” noted the victor. Carter and King gave chase, Hadyn moving ahead of Todd just before half-distance to bag another podium to match August’s. Carter slowed, but remained on the lead lap. Class B soloist Wyatt finished fifth, a lap down, missing Simmons’ rivalry.
All eyes were on the Rushworth versus Blake battle which brewed superbly. Once he’d wriggled past Keepin, Rushworth again got the upper hand at Tower, where he was particularly brave. On one occasion Blake, quicker out of Quarry, bravely forged past into the Esses, but Rushworth clawed back past on the exit. Blake popped in a couple of fastest laps in the slipstream, but another pass at Tower gave Wayne the race verdict by 0.173s. Blake’s better lap, a stout 1:15.951 (87.68mph) to Rushworth’s 1:16.392, earned the vital point for the seasonal prize. Keepin retired after nine laps, promoting Good M, Adams – who cut his times promisingly into the 18s – and Good R.
ENDS
Marcus Pye